The scaling down of handheld electronic devices such as mobile phones and MP3 players challenges designers of user interface (UI) and GUI, since it is hard to achieve efficient user interaction with small and compact multifunctional devices. Addition of pushbuttons or overloading their use by introducing key sequences and complex menu systems have been previously explored but led to severe limitation of the user interactivity with the electronic device.
In the patent application U.S. 2003/0085870 is described a method to improve responsively of electronic devices by introducing sensing means on how devices are handled and translating user gestures into commands to be performed. In particular windows that are open in a specific orientation are hidden when the orientation change.
Also, the number and complexity of functions performed on such handheld devices in continuously increasing, which again increase performance demands on UI and GUI. It is therefore still seen as a problem to browse and navigate in large amounts of data due to the inherent limitations in screen size and UI.
Therefore to improve user interface efficiency there is a need for handheld electronic devices with user interfaces which are able to provide easy presentation and browsing in large amounts of data.